


Every Journey Always Brings Me Back To You

by afteriwake



Category: Bleach
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2012-10-16
Updated: 2012-10-16
Packaged: 2017-11-16 10:16:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 10,401
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/538391
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/afteriwake/pseuds/afteriwake
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>He had moved away, but when it came to her, he’d still do anything for her, even while he’s an ocean away.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Cyclical](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/12731) by nemutai. 



> The idea was kind of inspired by the fic "Cyclical", an IchiHime fic written by **nemutai** (if you like IchiHime, I recommend it, as it seems to be the start of a very interesting series). I did this a little differently, in that Ishida has actually moved on in his life and moved to California to attend school, just to avoid Orihime being with Ichigo. I'm not quite sure where I want to go with this, but...we'll see.

He had watched, and waited, since long before Kurosaki got his powers. Since the start of high school, maybe a little earlier. But after a few years he'd stopped hoping. Kurosaki got the girl. Or rather, the girl who wanted Kurosaki got him. He knew that Orihime had loved him. Knew it when they went to Soul Society, when he went to Hueco Mundo to rescue her, knew it even when she was brainwashed by Tsukishima’s blade. He knew it, and he didn’t stop hoping that maybe she would realize that Kurosaki was not all she imagined him to be.

He wasn’t saying this to disparage Kurosaki. They weren’t friends, more like allies who fought for the same cause but had different agendas, and he wouldn’t badmouth an ally…much. There was still sarcasm spewed in his direction, but it lost the heat that their first few encounters had had. But he knew from observation that she wouldn’t be happy with him, because he would put being a hero before everything else. She had to have realized it when he worked so hard to get his powers back, but she hadn’t.

It was just after that that they started dating, and that was the point where he lost hope. As graduation neared, he realized it was more painful to be around them. Ichigo wasn’t a naturally good boyfriend; he was almost sad he had been right in that regard. But Orihime was blissfully happy, and he wouldn’t begrudge her her happiness. It wasn’t right. So he started looking to move away, far away. He even applied overseas. When the acceptance letters started rolling in from places where he would only be accessible by mail or by phone, he even got encouragement from Orihime. He found that made him even more depressed.

He accepted the scholarship offered to him by San Diego State University. For once his father showed actual signs that he was proud of his son, and that alone should have made up for the disappointment that Orihime was even more excited, but it didn’t. She talked about it like it was a grand adventure when he knew, deep down, that it was a desperate escape. And he played along because it was Orihime, and if it made her happy then he’d do it. She was there when he boarded his plane. She even gave him a kiss on the cheek, the most intimate thing she had done. She made him promise to write, and call, and he said he would depending on his course load. And then he was off, and she was an ocean and land masses away, and he had a new life.

He did spend time with other students; his English wasn’t flawless, but his father had sought out the best tutoring in that long ago and it seemed to have paid off. The American terminology confused him at times, and the Spanish he saw everywhere was worse, but there was always someone around willing to translate. He made a few friends, though they didn’t replace the set he had left behind. And he even went out on a few dates, though not much came of them. After all, there was so much he couldn’t talk about.

And he found that even this far away there were still ghosts and monsters to fight. Not Hollows, but a Quincy arrow worked the same on them. He knew he was making a difference when a girl came up to him and thanked him profusely for getting rid of the monster that had stalked her since she arrived to town two weeks before. Her name was Leigh, and she was completely different in most ways from Orihime: outgoing where Orihime would be shy, loud where Orihime would be quiet, perceptive where Orihime would be a bit clueless.

There was no romance between them, but a deep friendship formed. She became the type of friend he’d always wished to have. And she understood unrequited love; she had come to San Diego from New York because her best friend had gotten married right out of high school to “the love of her life,” who she knew for a fact was not the very nice young man he appeared to be. At least Kurosaki had no malicious intent with Orihime; he might be a bit clueless, and he might put protecting Karakura Town ahead of Orihime, but he would never intentionally hurt her.

Other than a letter every few weeks and a phone call here and there, he heard little from Orihime the more time he spent abroad. But it didn’t concern him too much; in her letters she talked about university and their old friends who had also stayed. He supposed Arisawa may have finally told her that he didn’t want to hear about Kurosaki in her letters, and he was rarely mentioned. He just assumed they were happy, or as happy as they could be living there.

When the letters stopped after a month, then two, his phone calls went unanswered, and his old friends were evasive, then he began to worry. He finally called Arisawa and threatened to come back to Japan to get the truth: Ichigo had been badly hurt and decided to go to Soul Society to get better. While there he had been offered a position in the Gotei 13, training the shinigami who were sent to Karakura Town. It had been with much debate, and many tears on Orihime’s end, that he accepted. Orihime was horrendously depressed.

He had never expected Kurosaki to make that decision. As much as he was the hero of the story he _must_ have realized how deep Orihime’s feeling were towards him. He hashed it out with Leigh as best he could, and she provided him with an insight he hadn’t thought of: Kurosaki couldn’t be everything to everyone. He couldn’t protect Karakura Town on his own and be the boyfriend Orihime deserved, and the son that his father deserved, and the brother that his sisters deserved and still have a life. Yes, it was hurtful, but he had put everyone in Karakura Town above those who cared for just him. That was what a hero would do. Still, she did agree with him that it was a selfish, and in her words “rather dickish,” move.

It was Leigh who made the suggestion he get Orihime to California for a bit. She lived in an apartment since she was very much against having a random stranger for a roommate, and she had a couch that could be slept on for a while. He himself knew it was pretty comfortable, from nights he’d passed out after hunting, not wanting to bother his roommate by coming in at three in the morning. He told Arisawa when he would call, and that Orihime better be in the same room and be handed the phone. He was nervous as he called her, but after a moment Orihime got on the phone.

“Yes?” she asked quietly, her voice forlorn.

“I’m sending you a ticket to come see me. I know you have a passport and it’s ready because you and Arisawa were supposed to go to America for your next break.” There was a gasp; apparently he wasn’t supposed to know. “Please, get on the plane and come visit.”

“Are you sure?” she asked, and he just vaguely detected something different in her voice: hope.

“I’m sure. Can you get two weeks off of work in the next week?”

“I quit my job,” she said.

Sadly, this didn’t surprise him. “Please tell me you didn’t quit school.”

“She was thinking about it, but I wouldn’t let her,” Arisawa said from nearby her; apparently he was on speakerphone. “We have a break coming up in four days. The university is doing renovations. It’ll last three weeks.”

“Then spend two weeks in California with me,” he pleaded.

“But where would I stay?” she asked, her voice curious and a little more lively. “I don’t have much money to spend at a hotel.”

“My friend Leigh has a couch you can sleep on. It’s in a nice apartment.”

“Oh,” she said, and he couldn’t tell what emotion her voice held now. “Are you really sure you want me to come visit?”

“Yes, I am really sure,” he said.

“Then I’ll come visit,” she said. “Maybe it’ll be good, right?”

“I’ll make it good,” he replied confidently. “I’ll do the ticket online and it will be waiting for you at the terminal in five days.”

“I’ll make sure she gets on the plane,” Arisawa said.

“It’s chilly here, so bring some things for warmth. And bring some things for warm weather, too. It keeps changing daily.”

“I thought it was always warm in California,” Arisawa said.

“It’s not. They say it’s rainy season right now. It’s almost over through, or so I’m told.” He paused. “I’ll make sure things go well, Orihime. I promise.”

“Okay,” she said. “I’ll see you soon, then.”

“Okay. Bye, Inoue-kun, Arisawa.” He hung up and looked at Leigh, who had been waiting. “I think it went well. She’s coming.”

“Excellent!” she said with a smile. “I think this is a good idea, Uryu.”

“I hope you’re right,” he said.


	2. Chapter 2

He had not expected the sight he saw when she got off the plane. Orihime had lost weight, enough of it to the point where she looked unhealthy. She had dark circles under her eyes, and it seemed as though she hadn’t paid much attention to her skin, because it wasn’t as flawless as usual. But she had appeared to put some conscious effort in her outfit, and he would admit the smile she had on her face seemed genuine and not forced. He was not a touching-type person by nature, but when she got close enough he pulled her into a hug. She was stiff at first, but relaxed as she hugged him back.

When she pulled away she saw her looking around. “I wanted it to be sunny,” she said in English, glancing back to the windows at the terminal, where a light rain fell steadily outside.

“It’s supposed to rain today and be sunny for the rest of the week,” he replied in kind, picking up her carry-on. “You have more luggage?”

“Hai, a suitcase,” she said, lapsing back into Japanese.

He grinned at her, and she grinned back. “It’s okay to speak Japanese around Leigh. She’s fluent,” he said in Japanese. “She’s Japanese-American, and both her parents are Japanese. They’re from Naruki City, actually. I met them when they came to visit.” He did not add that it was the first time he had really missed home since he had gotten there; she didn’t need to know that.

“Leigh is an unusual name for her,” she replied as they made their way to the luggage claim.

“Her parents wanted American names for their children,” he replied. “Her older sister is named Christina, her younger sister Rachel and Rachel’s twin is named Michael. Their last name is Shinoda.”

“How would she like to be called?” she asked.

“Leigh is fine. She’s not very formal around people, though she might be around you.”

“What does she call you?”

“Uryu,” he said. “She insisted we use first names, to get me used to the American mode of address. Only when we’re teasing each other do we use honorifics. Sarcastically, I might add.”

“Ah,” she said, and he thought she seemed a little sad.

“If you want,” he said hesitantly, “you may call me Uryu as well.”

“I kind of liked Ishida-kun, but…okay,” she said. “Uryu,” she said, getting the feel of it. “If you want to you can call me Orihime. We’re close enough.”

“All right, Orihime,” he said with a grin, and she smiled at that. “It will take some getting used to, I think. Don’t you agree?”

“Yes,” she said. “You’re the only one who will call me Orihime.”

“Really?” he said surprised. “I thought Arisawa did too.”

She shook her head. “She calls me Hime-chan when it’s just the two of us, and Inoue-chan around others.”

“Then I’m honored,” he said. “Have you eaten recently?”

She shook her head. “The food on the plane did not taste very good, so I ate very little of it.”

“Would you like something familiar, or exotic?”

“Exotic,” she said with a smile. “I’m willing to try new things while I’m here, be a new person.”

“There are these things called burritos,” he said, lapsing into English. “They have fillings wrapped in a flour tortilla. You would probably like the carne asada one, with cheese and salsa fresca. Maybe with guacamole on the side.”

“What language are those words?” she asked in English, confused. “Bur-rito, a-sa-da, fres-ca, gua-ca-mo-le?”

“Spanish,” he replied. “We’re very close to Mexico, so most places have things in English and Spanish. Those are all Mexican food items.”

“Oh, I see,” she said with a nod, going back to Japanese. “And it’s good?”

“Very good,” he said with a nod. “I don’t each much of that type of food, but when I’m very hungry I get one. They’re big.”

“How big?” she asked. He held out his hands about nine inches apart, and then made a circle about the size of a soda can. And her eyes went wide. “Wow, that is big. I can’t possibly eat all that.”

“Then we can get rolled tacos,” he said in English. “Taquitos are what they’re really called, but everywhere you can buy them from says rolled tacos.”

“Okay,” she said in English. “Rolled tacos.”

“With cheese and guacamole,” he added with a grin.

She smiled and chuckled. “You’ll have to order for me,” she said in Japanese. “I don’t think I can say that last word well enough.”

It was nice to hear her laugh. “I can do that.”

\--

After they picked up her suitcase they got outside. He opened up his umbrella, handed it to Orihime and put an arm around her shoulders so they could both be under it and he could carry her luggage. It was what Leigh called a golf umbrella, and it was much larger than the ones he usually used. He was grateful for it today. Leigh was waiting in her car near the airport. It was cheaper than calling a taxi, even though he had wanted to tell Orihime more about his friend first.

Leigh was waiting by the car under an umbrella, about to smoke a cigarette. “I was hoping you’d be longer,” she said in Japanese with a mock pout, before opening up her trunk. Ishida frowned at her. “What? I get one a day. I’m still trying to quit.”

“And next week you get none,” he replied in kind. He put Orihime’s suitcase and carry-on in the trunk. “Leigh, this is Orihime Inoue. Orihime, this is Leigh Shinoda.”

Leigh set her umbrella over the open trunk and, heedless of the rain, bowed deeply to Orihime at the waist. “It’s nice to meet you, Inoue-san.”

Orihime smiled, then when Leigh straightened and got her umbrella she bowed. “It’s nice to meet you too, Shinoda-san.” She straightened back up, and looked over at Ishida before turning back to Leigh. “He had told me about you in letters but not very much.”

“It’s okay,” she said with a laugh. “Until my parents met him he was my big secret.”

“Why?” Orihime asked.

“My parents would have immediately tried to get us to start dating immediately. And then they met him, and fell in love with him, and I had to tell them my _other_ big secret: I’m a lesbian.”

“Honsho-san would adore you,” Orihime said with a smile. “You’re like me, but with dark hair.”

“You mean I have a small waist and big chest? Personally I hate it, but if the girls like it and it gets me dates, I’ll hold off on the reduction.” She laughed, gesturing to the car. “Let’s get in! I’m sure you’re hungry. It’s a long trip.” They shut the trunk and got in the car, stashing the wet umbrellas in the back with Orihime. “So! Where to?”

“The Mexican food restaurant near Horton Plaza,” Ishida replied.

“Do we have to park in downtown?” Leigh asked, this time with a serious pout.

“Then do you want to travel to Hillcrest and park at your work? There’s the place on Fourth Avenue that you like,” he said.

“Cabais Mex-Deli it is!” Leigh said in English, getting out of her parking spot and getting on her way out of the airport. “I work at a used clothing store, one of those ‘buy, trade and sell’ places where people can buy vintage clothing,” she explained to Orihime in Japanese. “This place is one street over and makes really good food. Actually, most Mexican restaurants in Southern California make good Mexican food, seeing as they’re usually staffed by Mexicans.”

“Is there other kind of food there, too?” Orihime asked.

“A lot, yeah,” Leigh said with a nod. “Indian, vegan, a pastry shop…and that’s just stuff on the block where I work. And, of course, there’s a Subway and a Starbucks nearby, too. Actually, all up and down Fifth Avenue there’s restaurants.”

“She commutes to Hillcrest from El Cajon, which is where we live,” Ishida said. “It’s about a twenty minute drive to get back, so as soon as we’re done eating we can get back quickly and get you settled.”

“I didn’t bring much cool weather clothing,” she replied. “Just a jacket and a sweatshirt.”

“Do you feel like going shopping right now?” Leigh asked. “If you don’t mind good condition vintage clothing, I get a discount at work. But there are other clothing stores, too, a little further up the block and behind my store, that sell new clothes.”

“I’ve never owned vintage clothes before,” Orihime said. 

“I have some stuff stashed that I was going to get for me, but I think it will fit you. Some skirts, long sleeved tops and a few pairs of jeans, plus a hooded sweatshirt that’s fur lined. Whatever you like, you can get. I’ll even pay for it.”

“You kind of have to, or else you won’t get your discount,” Ishida said with an amused grin.

“But I meant she won’t have to pay me back,” Leigh said, sticking her tongue out at him briefly. He chuckled, and then she looked at Orihime in the rearview mirror. “Does that sound okay?”

“It sounds fine,” she said with a smile. “It will be a new experience.”

“Then let’s do it!” Leigh said with a grin.

\--

After they ate and Orihime picked out quite a bit of clothing, causing Ishida to joke she’d have to get another suitcase before she left, they made it back to Leigh’s apartment. It was on the second floor of a three story building, and it had a balcony overlooking a small park. Orihime stood on the balcony and looked out while Ishida and Leigh waited inside.

“She seems okay,” Leigh said quietly, checking the pork she was going to use for tankatsu for dinner that night.

“She’s very good at hiding things,” he replied. “She wasn’t that thin when I left.”

“I can fatten her up. My mother taught me to make great Japanese food, you know that. And if she’s set on trying new things, there’s all that Mexican and Indian and Thai and fried chicken from KFC.”

“It’ll be a start,” he said. 

“You go talk to her. I’ll be here in the kitchen,” she said, getting behind him and shoving him towards the balcony. “Go.”

He cast an amused grin at her and then opened the sliding glass door to go outside. “If it wasn’t raining I’d take you down to the park,” he said, coming to her side.

“It won’t rain the whole two weeks,” she said without looking at him. “I want to thank you, Ishida-kun.” She paused. “I mean, Uryu.”

“If you want to call me Ishida-kun you can. I didn’t realize Leigh was going to be more formal around you.”

Orihime gave a sigh of relief and turned to him with a warm smile on her face. “She’s really nice. I’m glad you have good friends here.”

“Just her. I spend most of my time studying or hunting. She helps me with both.”

“She can see…them?”

“There aren’t Hollows here, but there are other things,” he said. “She can see them, and she keeps an ear out for places that are haunted. Not the touristy places, where people go for scares, but the other places.”

“So you’re kind of like Don Kanonji now!” she said with a laugh.

“You will never catch me using his catchphrases, though,” he said with a grin.

“You smile a lot more here,” she said thoughtfully. “You didn’t smile as much in school.”

“I guess I fit in more here,” he said with a slight shrug.

“Oh,” she said, turning to look back at the park.

“It doesn’t mean I don’t miss my old friends. Even…him,” he added, speaking the word carefully.

“I miss him too. But…not as much these last few days. I guess it’s because I had something to look forward to.” He was surprised when she turned and kissed his cheek softly. “Thank you again for inviting me. I plan on being a new woman when I go home.”

“You’re welcome,” he said, and by great force of will he only felt himself grow vaguely warm.

“Who knows?” Maybe I’ll love California so much I’ll decide to move here, too,” she said brightly, still looking at him.

He grinned back at her. “Maybe,” he said, but deep inside he was hoping that the maybe would become a definitely. Inwardly, he realized just how hard these two weeks were going to be, because now that he had her here, he really didn’t want to let her go. This, he thought to himself, could be a _big_ problem.


	3. Chapter 3

Orihime woke up the next morning to humming. She had found Leigh’s pull-out sofa to be very comfortable, though when she first woke up she freaked out a little about not being on her futon. She didn’t open her eyes, listening. She recognized the song, because it was one of the themes to an anime she watched weekly, or had until a few months before. Before she realized it, she was singing along. The humming stopped, and for a moment she faltered, until Leigh picked up the song lyrics in flawless Japanese. Orihime sat up and they finished the song before they both started to laugh.

“Enjoy your sleep?” she asked in Japanese.

“Hai. This is a very comfortable bed to sleep on,” Orihime replied before stretching.

“I thought you might want to borrow the mat I have for when my older sister visits, but Uryu said you’d probably like the sofa bed more.”

“I sleep on a futon at home,” she said, peeling back the covers and putting her feet on the carpeted floor. “Is it still raining?”

“Pouring down rain,” Leigh said, pointing to the window with the spoon in her hands.

“Oh,” she replied with a frown.

“It’s supposed to stop this afternoon. I don’t think we’ll have a pretty sunset today. But tomorrow we’ll go to the beach. I think OB has a better place to watch than PB, though we could go all the way to Oceanside and go to the pier there,” she said. She caught the confused look on her face and shook her head. “I’m sorry. OB is Ocean Beach and PB is Pacific Beach. Oceanside is a town up in the north part of the county, next to the military base. They’re all nice cities, though really aimed at tourists.”

“Ah,” she said.

“We’ll probably go to all those places anyway. I heard about some problems in OB that Uryu wants to take a look at, and it can’t wait until after you leave. And PB and Oceanside are just fun to visit, especially since we’ll probably take the Coaster up to Oceanside. It’s a long trip, almost as long as driving, but it’s an experience.”

“That sounds like fun,” Orihime said with a smile, standing up.

“I’m making apple cinnamon pancakes, if you want to try some,” she replied. “If not, I have cereal. There’s also rice and tankatsu left over from last night. Sorry there’s no steamed veggies. I got hungry at four in the morning when I got back from the hunt.”

“I didn’t even notice you were gone,” Orihime said, surprised.

“It’s because it was just me and I was quiet,” she said with a chuckle, going back to the counter and adding more to the batter. “I’m sneaky like a mouse.”

Orihime giggled. “I thought cats were sneaky.”

“They are, but mice are quieter.” Orihime joined her in the kitchen, where Leigh was adding some cinnamon to the batter. “I really like to cook, if you haven’t noticed. I go to a culinary school in downtown San Diego.”

“I thought you went to school with Ishida-kun,” she asked.

“I did, when we first met. But after a semester I realized that being in a huge university just wasn’t for me, you know? One of my friends at work told me about the culinary school and I talked to them and found myself getting really excited for it, so I dropped out and enrolled in the other school. I just started a few weeks ago.”

“No one likes my cooking. I make weird things.” She had a sad smile. “My…ex-boyfriend…would sometimes eat what I made. Ishida-kun did, too, when we went to school together. But I think they were just being polite.”

“If we don’t go out to eat very much I can teach you how to make some of my favorite foods,” she said, setting the bowl down. “Uryu tells me you’re a fast learner.”

“I am,” she said with a nod.

“Then I can give you cooking lessons. And we’ll start now. I’ll teach you how to make the perfect pancake.” She showed Orihime how to do everything, step by step, and even let Orihime make half the batch. Orihime’s pancakes didn’t turn out as round as Leigh’s, and they were a little crispier around the edges, but they still tasted good, and the two of them dug in as soon as the last one was cooked.

“You’re a very good friend,” Orihime said after swallowing her last mouthful of pancake, taking her plate to the sink and beginning to do the dishes.

“Thanks. But you don’t have to do that,” she said.

“I should, though. It’s only fair,” she replied with a smile before going back to the dishes.

“So what do you want to do today? My classes got cancelled for the week since my professor is out of town, so while Uryu’s in class it’s just you and me. He’s going to play hooky next week, but he had tests in all his classes this week.”

“We could talk.”

“Do you drink coffee?” she asked. Orihime nodded. “I used to work in a coffee shop in New York. I’ll make some good coffee while you put the sofa back, okay?”

“Okay,” Orihime said, continuing on the dishes as Leigh went to brewing the coffee. It took about ten minutes, but by the time they both were done Orihime was sitting at the table and Leigh was giving her a cup of coffee. “There’s a heart in the foam!”

“I thought you’d like that.” 

“What kind of coffee is it?”

“It’s a caramel macchiato,” she said. She set down her coffee and used some of the whipped cream she’d had in her other hand to top it off. “Do you want some of this?”

“Yes, please.” Leigh squirted some whipped cream on top of Orihime’s coffee, and then went back into the kitchen briefly to get the cinnamon, sprinkling a little on both coffees. “I’m a coffee addict. I’m using it and food to get rid of the nicotine habit.”

“How long have you been smoking?”

“Since I was sixteen,” she said. “I just turned nineteen last month.”

“Ah,” she replied. “I’m still eighteen.” She took a sip of her coffee, and a contented smile sat on her face. “I used to work at a bakery. There was a coffee shop next door, and I’d take one of our cupcakes and have a mocha in the mornings before school if I had time.”

“I thought you said you weren’t a good cook,” she replied.

“Well, baking is something different, isn’t it?” Orihime said. “I didn’t do much baking, though. But I am good at it.”

“I’m not that good at it. Every time I try and make bread from scratch the inside is doughy.”

“I can make very good bread!” Orihime said. “I can teach you how to make bread, in exchange for your cooking lessons.”

“Deal,” Leigh said, leaning forward and reaching her hand across the table. Orihime grasped it and they shook once. “That’s the part I’ve been dreading, the baking. If I get some lessons in, maybe I’ll do all right.”

“I can make a few things from scratch. I’ll just make them without my special additions.” She took another sip of her coffee. “How is Ishida-kun doing? I know he’s worried about me, but…other than that?”

“He’s tired a lot of the time,” she replied truthfully. “It’s not the course work, but the hunting. He goes all over this part of the county to hunt, not just this city. Sometimes we’re out until sunrise, and then he goes to class. I think he runs on batteries sometimes.”

Orihime giggled. “Before I got to know him very well, I kind of thought so, too.”

“He’s a good friend,” Leigh said, taking a sip of her own coffee. “He really was going to go back to Japan if you hadn’t agreed to come out here, just to see how you were.”

“I don’t doubt that,” she said. “He’s gone a long way for me before.”

“He told me about that. Hueco Mundo, right?”

“Hai,” she said with a nod. “It was a horrible place. I felt helpless and alone. Then…Ichigo…found me, then got hurt, and then he was there, on the dome, trying to protect me, too.”

“Ichigo’s the ex?” Leigh asked, and Orihime nodded. “Uryu said you usually called him Kurosaki-kun. He always referred to him as Kurosaki, though I think he used his whole name once.”

“He had told me to call him by his first name when we started dating,” she said quietly. “I was so excited, because it meant we were close, you know? And he called me Orihime. It was what I’d wanted for such a long time.” Her voice hitched, and she shut her eyes, taking a deep steadying breath. She took another after that, and then she opened her eyes again. “I was a fool to think he cared about me more.”

“Love will make you do foolish things, but it doesn’t make you a fool,” Leigh said. “You were simply blinded by love, that’s all. God, if I knew you better I’d get up and give you a hug right now. You look like you could really use one.”

“No one’s really hugged me since him,” she said. “Ishida-kun did at the airport, and it felt nice.”

“Yeah, he never struck me as a hugging person,” Leigh replied with an amused grin. “We show our affection for each other by punching each other in the shoulder. I started it, before you think he got all violent while he was out here. Usually we use sarcasm as out major form of affection.”

“When he used sarcasm with Ichigo it was not meant to be friendly,” she said. “He must have changed a lot since he’s been here.”

“I think he is that way with me because that’s just the way I am. He’ll adapt to behaving in a way that is most comfortable with the person he’s with. Just watching him with you showed me he is very still and serene, and ready to listen when you want to talk.” Leigh took a sip of coffee. “He’s a good man. My parents were _highly_ disappointed that I wasn’t going to marry him.”

“Are you seeing anyone right now?” she asked.

“No, not really. It’s hard to do what I do and date. I was seeing someone for a little bit, but she couldn’t see spirits and got really jealous that I spent so much time with Uryu. She kept accusing me of being bisexual, which I very much am not.” She chuckled slightly. “She threw a cup of grape juice in his face when we broke up. He’s the only person I know who can get grape juice stains out of white clothing.”

“He was in his Quincy uniform?” she asked.

“No, he was in a white button down shirt and slacks. He’d come back from an interview about a scholarship. This was about…four months ago. He dresses down a lot more now, but when he’s hunting, out comes the uniform.”

“I was so used to seeing him look dressy,” she said.

“It took months to get him into shorts,” she said. “We had a heat wave where the temperatures were in the 90s as early as nine o’clock in the morning and he nearly passed out because he was wearing a suit to impress…somebody, I forgot who. Something about a professor, I think. Anyway, I brought him here, gave him ice water and forced him into my brother’s tank top and shorts. Ever since, he’s had no problem wearing the style, but only when it’s hot.”

“I hope I get to see it,” she said. “I think it will be good to get used to these new changes in him.”

“Yeah, probably. I think some of them may even be permanent.” She took another sip of her coffee. “Can I ask you a personal question?”

“All right, but only if I may ask one.”

“Sure,” Leigh said with a nod. “Your ex. How well did you know him? Not intimately, I mean, but…in general.”

“I thought I knew him very well,” she said after thinking a moment. “I knew what he liked and disliked, I knew he was good to his family and he tried to be good to me, he was a good student…he was very… _good_. Very loyal and very brave. And he is, still, but he is also hurtful without realizing it. When he makes a decision he does it without waiting, without hearing others opinions sometimes. Like when he came to rescue me. Soul Society…has Ishida-kun told you about it?”

“Enough that I get the general idea,” she said with a nod.

“They were planning a battle, but Ichigo came and rescued me and almost ruined it. People died because Soul Society wasn’t able to stop…” She shut her eyes and took a deep breath. “Aizen. They couldn’t stop him from coming into the real world. I’m thankful he rescued me, but so many bad things happened because he didn’t wait.” She opened her eyes, and they looked sad. “That’s the kind of person he is. He’ll save the day in the end, but usually not without some sort of cost.”

“It seems you put a lot of thought into how he is.”

She gave a slightly bitter laugh. “I shut myself off from people. I had nothing but time on my hands to think. I was starting to come out of it when Ishida-kun asked me to come visit. I think this will help a lot.” Then she took a sip of coffee. “Now it’s my turn.”

“Go for it.”

“How did you tell your parents you weren’t interested in men? I know Honsho-san’s parents always kind of knew, so she just said she was a lesbian and they were accepting of it.”

“I yelled,” she said. “My mother had pulled me into the kitchen to talk about what a sweet boy Uryu was, and how I should snatch him up quick. She’d been making comments like that the entire week, and I’d finally had enough. I said ‘I don’t like men, okay? I like women!’ and she dropped the plate she was holding.” She paused. “This was about three months ago, and my mother just started talking to me again last week. My father was supportive, though. Like your friends parents, he always kind of knew.” She smiled. “I think he finally convinced my mother that it was okay. It also helped that my older sister came back from Tokyo with a fiancée. She works there, and has invited the whole family to her wedding in three months. At least now she knows the family line will continue.”

“Do you ever want children?” she asked.

“Yeah, I think I do,” she said with a smile. “Just not right now. What about you?”

“Someday, I would like to be married and have at least one child,” she said with a fond smile.

“It’ll probably happen faster for you than for me,” Leigh said with a laugh. “Any guy would be lucky to have you.”

“You really think so?” Orihime asked.

“Just from listening to Uryu talk about you I knew, but after getting to know you better I definitely know it’s true,” she said.

“Thank you,” she said with a blush.

“Hey, I have an idea,” she said, grinning. “There’s a place that shows old movies. Think your English is good enough to enjoy one of the classics?”

“You may have to explain some things about American culture, but I should be okay.”

“Then let’s go see a movie, and I’ll treat you to something to eat afterwards. It’ll be another four hours before he’s out of class, and I think we’ll get bored here.”

“All right, that sounds fun,” Orihime said with a smile.

“Great!” Leigh said. “Let’s finish our coffee before they get any colder.”

Orihime smiled back. She was thankful that Ishida-kun had a friend like her, and she hoped that maybe at the end of her stay, Shinoda-san would be her friend, too.


	4. Chapter 4

It was another three days after Orihime got to California that Ishida got the phone call he’d been expecting from Arisawa, probably her checking up on her best friend. Leigh and Orihime were playing in the heated pool at Leigh’s apartment complex while he was at a table nearby attempting to do his science homework when it happened. “Arisawa,” he said, giving up on the work for a moment.

“How is she?” Tatsuki asked, a little worriedly.

“Right now she’s playing in a pool, laughing,” he said with a smile on his face that he was sure was reflected in his voice.

“Good,” she said. But she said it in a tone of voice that made him take notice.

“What happened?” he asked quietly, shutting his books and getting up to move farther away from the women.

“Ichigo came to visit,” she said with a sigh. “He stopped by our place and was upset that she wasn’t here, until I told him she’d gone to visit you. He’s having second thoughts, Ishida.”

Ishida froze. He glanced over at Orihime. She’d probably smiled more in the last four days than she had in the two months prior. “What else happened?”

“He can’t have it both ways, and I told him that,” she said. “What else was I going to do? She’s been my friend longer than either of you. I don’t want her hopes brought up only to be dashed again the next time he makes a stupid decision. I’m just worried about whether I should tell her or not. If you do it you’ll be the bearer of bad news, and that’ll just ruin what this whole trip was supposed to be about.”

She had a point. “Very well,” he said. “Do you want to tell her now?”

“I might as well.”

Ishida went back over to the pool, where they were both getting out. “Inoue-kun, Tatsuki needs to talk to you. It’s important.”

Orihime looked surprised. “Is she okay?”

“She’s fine. It’s about Kurosaki.”

“Oh,” Orihime said, and she looked dejected. She wrapped the towel she’d brought with her around her waist and took the phone. “Hello?” She listened to Tatsuki talk for about five minutes, then with a sigh said “No, you did the right thing. Thank you, Tatsuki-chan.” She then handed the phone back to Ishida, a frown on her face. “She wants to talk to you again.”

He took the phone, then glanced at Leigh and nodded over to the retreating Orihime, who had gone where he had been sitting. “How’d she take it?” Tatsuki asked nervously.

“She’s not crying,” he said, watching her. “Leigh went over to talk to her.”

“Well, when she’s up to it, tell her to call me. I need to know what she wants me to do if he comes back before she comes home.”

“I will.”

“Keep taking good care of her, okay? She sounded really happy when we talked two days ago. I think this will be a good thing for her if the news I just gave her doesn’t screw everything up.”

“All right, I will,” he said, hanging up. He walked over to the two of them. “Are you okay, Inoue-kun?”

She looked at him, then shook her head. “No. No, I’m not.” But she didn’t seem sad; rather, she seemed…angry. He braced himself, because he had the feeling he was going to see a whole new side of his friend. “He’s changing his mind? He wants to come back to the world of the living because he’s _lonely_?” He could see she was starting to shake. “I thought he’d be all friendly with those…those… _shinigami_ that were there when he was healing from injuries that _I_ could have healed more quickly! But no, he misses us? Missing his family I can understand, but after I begged and pleaded and cried for him to stay and he left anyway he gets _angry_ that I’m an entire ocean away getting over him? What a self-absorbed…ASSHOLE!” She yelled that last part in English, standing up so quickly that she knocked the table, and Ishida’s homework went flying. “Oh, I’m so sorry!” she squeaked, grabbing the papers that were near her.

Ishida knew it probably looked completely inappropriate, but he had a grin on his face as he grabbed the papers that were floating dangerously near the pool. He chuckled, and then it all came spilling out, peal after peal of laughter. He laughed so hard he stayed doubled over, hands crunching his homework that, at the moment, didn’t matter so much.

“It’s not funny,” Orihime said, and when he got himself together her saw she was glaring at him.

“I didn’t think you knew any English curse words, that’s all,” he said, composing himself. “But really, you have every right to be angry with him. He is being selfish, and rather stupid.”

“Thank you,” Orihime said, sitting back down, her glare softening. “I’ve been angry before. I killed a Hollow when I was angry. I slapped Ulquiorra, the Hollow who was in charge of me during my captivity. I even got likened to a sadist when I used my deflecting shields on Kugo Ginjo. But right now, I think is the first time I’ve felt like killing a person. Shinigami. Whatever it is Ichigo wants to be. If he thinks I’m going to have any more to do with him before I die then he’s wrong.” She crossed her arms, then looked at Ishida. “Do I have to go home next week?”

He blinked, then sat down again. “Well, it will cost some money to change the ticket, but that’s not a big deal. It’s up to Leigh, though, since you’re staying here.”

“I have no problem with it,” Leigh said with a smile. “She’s kind of taken your place as my best friend anyway,” she added, teasing him.

“I’d like to stay here my entire break, then,” she replied. “And while I’m at it, I’d like to look into actually _moving_ here. I don’t want to be anywhere near him, and an ocean seems to be enough distance.”

“It will be hard to transfer to a university since you already have classes you’ve taken,” he pointed out. 

“But there are smaller colleges, community colleges,” Leigh said. “There’s City College, in downtown San Diego. Maybe you can transfer there?”

“Fine. And even if I can’t, I’ll try and get a work visa,” she said, a determined look settling on her face.

“If you can do this, we can look into sharing a place,” Leigh said with a grin. “Maybe all three of us could do it?”

“I wouldn’t be adverse to the idea,” Ishida said slowly. “I’ve been paying for my student housing with money my mother left me. It would probably be cheaper to split the rent on a new apartment then continue to live in the dorms.”

“Good,” Orihime said with a nod. “Then we’ll get this figured out and I’ll move here.”

Ishida started to respond when Leigh’s phone rang. She grabbed it off the table and grinned when she saw who was calling. “It’s my brother. Excuse me.” She moved away from the table, leaving the two old friends alone.

“Tatsuki might not be happy,” Orihime said with a frown.

“I think Tatsuki will understand,” he said. “And she would always be welcome to visit. She just wants what’s best for you, and if that means moving far away, I think she’ll be okay with it.”

“I should tell her soon.”

“Yes, but wait until you find out more. I mean, tell her you’re seriously considering it, but for all you know you won’t be able to transfer or get a work visa for a while.”

“I hadn’t thought about that,” she said quietly. “I was supposed to be here cheering up, and now I’m considering moving here. I think it worked,” she said, a slow smile forming on her face.

He grinned back at her. “Well, call Tatsuki and tell her.”

“I will.” She picked her phone up off the table, then went over and hugged Ishida. He stiffened up a little, more at the fact that Orihime was hugging him in a bikini and towel more than anything else, but relaxed when she pulled away quickly. “Thank you for being a good friend.”

“You’re welcome,” he said with a nod, and watched her walk in the opposite direction of Leigh to make her phone call. He had no problems with her staying there or living with the both of them, not really, but he would need to figure a few things out, mainly about how he felt about Orihime. He had done a good job stuffing those feelings down these last few days, but if they lived together and these feelings remained unresolved, it might ruin their friendship, and under no circumstances did he want that.


	5. Chapter 5

The rest of Leigh’s week with Orihime mostly to herself drew to a close, and on Monday Ishida got on the bus to get to her place. About a month ago Leigh had entrusted him with his own key, in case he needed a break from dorm life or needed to rest his head after a hunt alone. He knew her classes started at 9 AM, and he figured by then Orihime would be up.

He got to her apartment and let himself in. He was surprised to see Orihime still sleeping, and he spent a few moments watching her sleep. There had been frustrations in the plan for her to move there, but the concerns didn’t show on her face when she slept. Orihime was determined, and she would do what she could. She would have to wait until next fall at the earliest, and there was testing and fees and applications ahead of her. He had offered to help with the fees, at the very least, and she had accepted his help graciously.

But his foremost thought was that she probably looked more beautiful when asleep then awake, because of the peacefulness on her face. And considering the fact he thought she was one of the most gorgeous women he knew already, that was saying something. But they had plans, and they needed to catch a train to travel. He sat down near her on the pull-out sofa and put a hand on her arm, shaking gently.

“A few more minutes, Sora-kun,” she mumbled. He shook a little harder, and her eyes slowly fluttered open. She blinked, then smiled at him. “Oh, hi. What time is it?”

“A little after nine,” he replied.

“I was having the best dream,” she said, sitting up. “But you said we were going to do something fun today, so it’s okay that you woke me up.”

“Well, it’s going to change a bit. By the time you eat and get dressed we won’t be able to make the train,” he said. “But I can pay more and we can take the Amtrak.”

“Oh, okay,” she said. Then she smiled. “Could we do it tomorrow?”

“Yes,” he said, slightly confused. “Why?”

“I figured I would make you breakfast and we could go to the park for a while. Leigh and I went to Mitsuwa and got all sorts of good food. I was thinking we could have a picnic.”

He grinned. “You know, if we wait until Thursday there’s two farmer’s market in Oceanside, one in the morning and one at night. That would probably be more fun anyway.”

“Great. Then let me make you some pancakes.” She pushed the covers off and got out of the bed. She was wearing some of Leigh’s pajamas, the ones she liked to wear to tease him with the shorts and tank top. Leigh might be gay but she was still attractive, and he had noticed. It looked better on Orihime, though, and he tried not to stare.

“What kind?” he asked, following her into the kitchen.

“Pumpkin,” she replied. She caught a look at his face and giggled. “They’re really good, I promise. Leigh made them yesterday, and I have a good memory.”

“Okay,” he said with a nod. He watched her get all the ingredients together and start making the batter. They talked as she mixed, and then as she poured the batter into the skillet. He had to admit after having one that was a little too crispy as a teaser that they were good. Soon they had a whole plate of them and were digging in.

“I like these,” he said as they ate. “I can see the lessons are going well.”

“They are,” she said with a smile, cutting one of her pancakes. “I really like her. I’m glad she’s your friend.”

“I am too,” he said with a grin. They kept conversation light as they ate, and then Orihime started to gather the dishes and take them to the sink. “I’ll do it,” he said, taking the last bite off his plate and meeting her at the sink.

“Are you sure?” she asked.

“You cooked,” he said, taking her plate from her. “I should clean.”

“Oh, okay. I can get a shower and get ready, then.” She gave him a smile and went to her things, then went to the bathroom. If he tried really hard, he could ignore the fact that she was taking a shower about thirty feet away from him. He finished the dishes, then went looking in her fridge for something to drink.

“Ishida-kun?” He turned and saw Orihime sticking her head out from the hallway by the bathroom. She was apparently clad only in a towel. “I left my conditioner in my bag, and I don’t want to use Shinoda-san’s. Could you get it for me?”

“She wouldn’t mind,” he said, trying hard to breathe. He could see a shoulder, and leg. Not that he hadn’t seen them before, but she’d been in a strapless shirt and short skirt, which was more than the towel she was in now.

“Really? Okay. I’ll just use a little,” she said with a smile before heading back to the bathroom.

He got himself together, and realized if he didn’t get a grip on himself he wouldn’t make it through the day, let alone be able to live with her if she moved here. He found some of the sparkling juice that Leigh had and pulled out a cold can, drinking it as he waited. Orihime had, thankfully, taken her clothes in with her because she was wearing a long flowery skirt and a white tank top with her hair wrapped in a towel when she came out. “You look nice.”

“I don’t even have any make-up on,” she said with a slight blush.

“But you look nice without it,” he said.

Her blush deepened. “Thank you,” she replied. She walked quickly to where her things were and rummaged through until she found her brush. She brushed her hair, and by the time she was done the blush was gone. “What do you want to do until it’s time for lunch?”

“We could watch some movies,” he suggested. “I’m sure there’s something you might like.”

“We stayed up watching anime the last night you had to study all night,” she said with a grin. “She has Detective Conan and a bunch of other ones I like.”

“Then let’s watch some anime,” he said. They went to the TV and he opened up the cupboard with her DVDs and pulled out a DVD. He put it in as Orihime got the couch back to rights and then they settled down on it and watched. She sat close, but not so close he spent time obsessing on it. And it was nice to just relax and do something fun, even if he didn’t normally watch anime. He actually enjoyed it by the time the fourth episode was done, and it helped that Orihime was explaining things.

Even after it was done they talked for a little bit, with her telling him about the TV shows and movies she had seen since he was gone, and before he knew it it was 12:30. “Do you want to go do that picnic now?” he asked after a lull in the conversation.

She nodded and got up. “Shinoda-san got croquets and more tankatsu and other stuff,” she said, going to the fridge, with him following. She began pulling things out, and he saw that Orihime had grabbed mostly Japanese food, but there was some cold fried chicken and her homemade potato salad as well.

“She makes the best potato salad,” he replied.

“I did a lot of it,” Orihime said. “She said she was sharing the recipe someone at a New York deli had given her. I can’t share it with anyone else on penalty of death.”

He chuckled. “Well, if you made it the way she does it’ll be something worth keeping a secret. It will impress anybody.”

“I hope so,” she said. She got all the items together, and then frowned. “What are we going to take them in?”

“I think she’s got a picnic basket somewhere,” he said, going to her pantry and opening it. It wasn’t there, so he went to the linen closet in the hallway. “Found it,” he replied. He brought it over to her and she packed it as he went back and grabbed a blanket from the closet. 

“Okay, I’m ready,” she said. She lifted up the basket, and then set it back down. “I forgot to get something to drink.”

“How about I carry the basket and you carry the blanket?” he suggested as he watched her pull out some twenty ounce drinks to put in the basket.

“Okay,” she said with a smile. “It wasn’t heavy before, but now it probably is.” She took the blanket from him and he picked up the basket. It wasn’t too heavy. “Is it too heavy?”

“No, it’s fine,” he said. With that, they headed to the door and then left. It wasn’t a very long walk to the park entrance, and there was a nice place that was shady. He set down the basket as she laid down the blanket, and they sat down.

“What is the date today?” she asked. “I forgot.”

“It’s February 11th,” he replied.

“Ah,” she said. “It’s almost Valentine’s Day.”

He nodded. “It’s done a little differently here. It’s not just girls who gives gifts. Guys give them too. It’s supposed to be a big romantic night. Leigh and I had made plans to have what she calls ‘Singles Awareness Day,’ though. I guess that is the term for people who do not like Valentine’s Day here.”

She giggled. “I can’t imagine not liking Valentine’s Day. Even when I was too scared to give someone chocolate, it was still a fun time.”

“I used to get chocolates, but I don’t know who they were from,” he said.

“Last year, one box was from me,” she replied. “I thought I put a note on it.”

“No, I don’t remember a note,” he said, reaching into the basket for a soda. “I had four boxes last year, and I know one of them was from the exchange student, because she didn’t quite understand the custom. Everyone got one from her.”

“Every boy got a gift. She gave us girls notes that said she was glad we were her friend,” Orihime said with a smile. “I thought that was nice.”

“I remember she was very surprised the next month,” he replied, chuckling. “I don’t even think she could sit down at her desk, there was so much chocolate.”

“Did you give her some?” she asked.

He nodded. “It was only right. She got to be a friend, towards the end. We e-mail each other sometimes, now that she’s back in Florida. She’s considering coming out here for some convention known as Comic Con, but I’ll be back in Japan. We’re working out details to see if she can come earlier.”

“You have so many female friends, and no girlfriend,” she said. “I’m surprised.”

“I’ve had dates, but not many. There are not a lot of people who will put up with me missing so many dates, or spending so much time with Leigh.”

“She told me one of her girlfriends threw grape juice in your face,” she replied with a slight smile.

“That would be Annabelle,” he said with a sigh. “I didn’t really like her. She was very…clingy, I suppose is the best term. And very easily jealous.”

“Do you think I’m clingy?” she asked.

He shook his head, a little more forcefully then intended. “Not at all. You let Kurosaki do whatever he needed and wanted.” He paused. “Do you wish me to be absolutely truthful?”

“Yes,” she said.

“You let him walk all over you. As long as he showed you some attention, you were content. But he should have paid more attention as time went on, once he got used to having a girlfriend, not less. But you let him. If you had told him you wanted more time with him, maybe things would have turned out differently.”

“I had thought it might be partially my fault,” she said with a dejected sigh.

“It wasn’t really your _fault_ , because he was your first boyfriend and you didn’t really know any better,” he said. “But I bet over time you wanted more of his attention, correct?”

“Yes,” she said with a nod. “I did.”

“He may have spent more time with you, but eventually he still would have put Karakura Town first. If it had been longer, it might have been harder on you.. I mean, what would it have been like if you were engaged? Or even married, possibly with children?”

“I hadn’t thought about that,” she said, tilting her head. “I probably would have been more heartbroken.” She looked at him intently. “Why couldn’t he have been more like you?”

“It’s not in his nature,” he said with a shrug, ducking his head so she wouldn’t see the blush on his cheeks.

“Maybe I should have been pining after you instead of him,” she replied. “In the end, I would have been happier, I think.” He didn’t look up, and she reached over and placed a hand on his knee. “I’m sorry if I’m embarrassing you, Ishida-kun.”

He lifted his head up, looking at her intently. “I’m not going away, you know. I may live thousands of miles away, but I wouldn’t abandon you the way he did.”

“I know,” she said with a smile. “I’ve been doing a lot of thinking this week, and I’ve come to realize that you cared about me, probably more than Ichigo. Up on the dome, you protected me just as much as he did. You were always there when I needed you, and it was because I was so in love with him that I didn’t realize you were in love with me. Has that changed?”

“No,” he admitted. “Part of the reason none of my dates ever worked out was because I compared them all to you.”

“Well, that makes this easier,” she said with a laugh. “Would you like to go out on a date with me, Ishida-kun?”

“I thought I was supposed to ask,” he said, though with a grin.

“Well, I just beat you to it,” she said, laughing. “So? Is the answer yes or no?”

“The answer is yes,” he said.

“Good. Then Valentine’s Day, we’ll go out on a date date. And I’ll pay, because that’s the custom.” She removed her hand and began to rummage through the picnic basket, humming to herself. He watched, still a little in shock, but overall happy with the turn of events. Now he just had to wait three days to see if there really could be anything between them. For now, though, it was just the two of them, and he was bound and determined to enjoy her company.


End file.
